It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Brackets are busted, the azalea’s are in bloom and hot dogs just taste better this time of year: It’s the most wonderful time of year in sports.

Tomorrow is the NCAA men’s Championship game between number one seed Duke and number five seed Butler. While Duke is the number one seed, no one was talking about taking the Blue Devils to the Championship game. And I wouldn’t call Butler the underdog if center- Matt Howard stays out of foul trouble. The name Duke has a ring to it. To say “91’, 92’, 2001 and 2010 NCAA National Champions” is a phrase that just sounds right.

I’ve always said that college is where the heart is. The words team and coach have a different meaning and every game played is about building a stronger team. No one is worried about a paycheck; they just worry about each other. The heart of the game was apparent as everyone who watched WVU coach Huggins fall to his knees to console an in-pain Da’Sean Butler. It didn’t matter who you were rooting for, we all felt their emotions. The reaction by Huggins to Butler was like a father and his only son. Their interaction broke the hearts of everyone watching. Referees are always trying to speed up the game, but for those moments on the court no one was worried about the clock, just the broken hearts that embraced on the floor.

In sports, there’s no off season. When one season ends, another one begins.

The Masters begins tomorrow and the tournament goes beyond golf and becomes The Master of tradition. Not much has changed since Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts dreamed of having the most prestigious tournament in golf. It’s one of the few sporting events that is rich in the tradition of the game and not rich in the media. There’s meaning on every inch of the grounds. The walk through Magnolia Lane that leads to Founders Circle and then meets at the clubhouse is beginning of the sincerity for the next eighteen holes. Amen Corner is landmark for being able to lift an embedded ball and drop it without penalty. President Eisenhower suggested the perfect place for a pond and Roberts named it Ike’s Pond.

Tiger will return and with limited media coverage, it’s just how the Masters should be: Only about The Masters.

The sounds of summer are back. There are no other sounds that are more associated with sports than the crack of the wooden bat and a 90 mile an hour fastball going deep into left field. The sound of a change-up hitting the catcher’s mitt while the batter swings and miss. The deep voice of an umpire calling a strike and hot dogs taste better when you hear “HotttttDogs! Get your HOTDogs!” It’s a long season, but once you hear the sounds of summer, you’ll know it’s the most wonderful time of year.